How a Campus Lawn Becomes a No-Dig Permaculture Garden (Video)

Warren's post on how to build a no-dig garden is somewhat of a classic here on TreeHugger. And while the slugs weren't too appetizing, the rest of his slideshow on the produce from that home garden is great inspiration for anyone wanting to grow their own. Now a team of students at UMass Amherst are building a no-dig garden on a much grander scale—transforming a 1/4 acre grass lawn into an abundant permaculture forest garden to feed their campus cafeteria. No-Dig Garden Laid on Top of LawnInspired by a need to rethink our industrial agricultural system, and aware that there were large amounts of potentially productive land on campus being given over to lawns, the UMass Amherst Permaculture Committee is in the process of transforming a lawn just outside their cafeteria. Using cardboard, compost, and mulch, they are laying the ground work for a spring planting that will—if it all goes to plan—see the area transformed into both a productive ecosystem and an educational resource.

An Ongoing, Replicable Model?Their first video tackles the initial sheet mulching, but with Spring on the way and the weather warming, we'll be keeping an eager eye out for follow up videos on what gets planted, what gets harvested, and what actually gets eaten. Managing a collective garden—permaculture or otherwise—like this is no mean feat. The students say the project is intended to provide a replicable model for universities and other community organizations—so the lessons learned about what works and what doesn't will prove invaluable.